Schmidt joins Michigan’s WLUC TV-6

(May 27, 2015) “Go where the jobs are.” That advice has seemingly been around the sports broadcasting industry forever, yet it is just as true today as it was 50 years ago. Ethan Schmidt isn’t afraid to leave home and his reward is a sports reporter/anchor position at WLUC TV-6 in Marquette, MI.

“Do not be afraid to branch out of your comfort zone,” suggests Schmidt, who is from Tennessee. “I am taking a position in Marquette, Michigan which is 13 hours away from home. You have to be willing to go where there is opportunity and then capitalize on it.”

Schmidt graduated from Austin Peay University in Clarksville, TN in 2013 and earned his Masters in Corporate Communications from APU this spring. He learned of the WLUC opportunity in an email from STAA. “It was [a job] that didn’t require a long line of experience. Thankfully the experience that I gained while working in college was enough to have them call me and bring me up for a visit and then the job.”

STAA members will now cover the Marquette sports scene on both TV and radio. In January, Ryan Myrehn accepted the Sports Director position at ESPN 970 in Marquette.

In addition to being willing to relocate, Schmidt offers two additional pieces of advice to sports broadcasting job seekers. “Do not give up on the hunt. I applied for numerous gigs and did not even get a call back and then finally it happened. [Also], be flexible! I would love to still be doing play-by-play for sports, but sometimes you have to venture into reporting or anchoring to get the opportunity and exposure you need!

“[WLUC] is truly an amazing opportunity”, says Schmidt. “The station is still small enough where I can gain knowledge, but its viewership is big enough where I will be seen and have better exposure. Also it isn’t an entry level newsroom gig, it is a position that puts me right into the real world of sports reporting and anchoring.”